Lapel forms for garments



4, 1955' E. L. ALLEN ETAL LAPEL FORMS FOR GARMENTS Filed NOV. 1, 1954 INVENTORS United States Patent Ofiice 2,719,657 Patented Oct. 4,1955

LAPEL FORMS FOR GARMENTS Everett L. Allen, Coldwater, Miss., and Harold C. Key, Memphis, Tenn.

Application November 1, 1954, Serial No. 466,115

3 Claims. (Cl. 22384) This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in forms for preserving the pressed and finished condition of garments, particularly those having lapels such as mens coats and similar garments, and is particularly adapted for use by cleaning and pressing establishments to preserve the freshly renewed condition of such garments following the finishing thereof as by pressing and mending and during delivery thereof to the customer.

It has long been recognized, particularly by customers of such establishments, that a very undesirable condition often occurs to garments after the finishing of same by a pressing establishment resulting in the crumpling and/or crushing of garment portions such as lapels, thus impairing the appearance of same and greatly detracting from the work product. Attempts have heretofore been made to provide devices for protecting garment portions, but

such prior attempts have proven unsuccessful, particu- I larly in a commercial manner in failing properly to accomplish that purpose and in proving expensive in production, and, therefore, uneconomical.

One particular cause of the crumpling or crushing of garment portions arises in the conventional mode of handling garments in cleaning and pressing establishments where a large quantity of such garments are processed in a short period of time and in which such garments, following pressing, are placed upon a rack hung upon a conventional coat hanger device and due to space limitations the completed garments are crushed together along the hanging rack or racks to conserve the hanging space. Such crushing, together with the weight of the garments, frequently causes the undesired crushing of portions such as lapels.

A similar problem arises in the transportation of a plurality of such garments for delivery since, as is well known, delivery trucks are of limited space and it is frequently necessary to crowd a large quantity of garments and packages for delivery into a limited space, similarly and undesirably crumpling or crushing of the garments.

Additionally in packing such garments the lapels are often longitudinally crumpled, as upon insertion into a cover or casing.

The principal object of the present invention is. to provide a new and novel means for protecting garment portions, such as lapels, from crumpling and crushing under conditions of the type described.

A further object of the invention is to provide an economical device adapted for mounting upon and in connection with the lapel portions of a garment, such as a coat, to preserve the lapels in proper finished condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a device which is formed from a single integral blank and which includes means for detachably securing the device or form in connection with the garment to which it is applied.

A further object of the invention is to provide a form for garment lapels fabricated as from cardboard or paper board including a flat neck band portion and integrally connected trough-shaped legs connected to the opposite ends of the neck band portion and underlying the lapels or collar of a garment such as a coat, the said leg portions being respectively provided with pin-like means for detachable engagement of such garment; and

'A further object of the invention is to generally improve the design, construction and efiiciency of garment form devices, particularly adapted for preventing crush: ing of garment portions.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects of the present invention are accomplished and the manner of their accomplishment will be readily understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a face view of a blank formed in accordance with the present invention from which the lapel form is produced.

Fig. 2 is a front view of a lapel form produced from the blank of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the lapel form of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side view of the lapel form of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of the lapel form in use position as upon a garment, the garment being shown in dotted lines.

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals, the present device is preferably made from a cardboard or paper board stock and the blanks from whichthe lapel form is made may basically be prepared by stamping or cutting the blanks from a large sheet of such stock.

The blank as so formed includes a curved flat neck band portion 11 which is adapted to underlie the collar of a garment. The neck band portion is relatively narrow and of substantially uniform width. Integrally connected to the opposite ends of the neck band portion 11 are lapel portions 13, 14, which are provided with blunt ends15, 16, remote from the neck band. Along one edge the lapel portions are foldably connected as along fold lines 17, 18 to one edge of garment-engaging portions 19, 20. The opposite edges 21, 220i the lapel portions and 23, 24 of the garment-engaging portions are free edges. The garment-engaging portions 19, 20 are cut off at one .end' as at 25, 26 adjacent the opposite ends of neck band portion 11, and have opposite blunt ends 27, 28.

It will be observed that the lapel portions 13, 14 and the garment-engaging portions 19, 20,each taper toward their free ends 15, 16, 27, 28, and preferably these ends are of relatively narrow width. Lapel portion 13 and garment-engaging portion 19 are integrally connected along fold line 17 and together form one leg of the blank, and similarly lapel portion 14 and garment-engaging por tion 20 are integrally connected along fold line 18 and together form the opposite leg of the blank.

It will be observed that while the opposite legs of the blank are connected to the opposite ends of neck band portion 11, the legs project divergingly away from the same side of the neck band portion. Each of the legs of the blank is provided with attachment means which preferably is in the form of a pin 29 which are mounted in alinement with the respective fold lines 17, 19 and project outwardly therefrom beyond the ends 15, 27, 16, 28 of the respective blank portions 13, 21, 15, 23. Pins 29 are suitably connected to the legs of the blank as by adhesive or in other desired manner. In use of the device the garment-engaging portions 19, 20 are folded along fold lines 17, 18 relative to lapel portions 13, 14 to provide a lapel form including a neck band and a pair of longitudinally rigid, extending troughmade being of a limitedresiliency and urging the free.

edges 21, 23, and 22, 2 4 of the legs apart, tending to maintain the V-cross sectional shape of the respective legs. When thus folded along the fold lines the pins 29 project from the folded edge of each of the legs, these fold edges being inwardly of the lapel form. The lapel form may then be associated with a garment such as a coat, the neck band 11 being positioned beneath the collar and against the neck band of the garment and the trough-like legs being positioned to underlie the lapels of the garment with lapel portions 13, 14 engaging the underside of the lapels and the cutoff garment-engaging portions 19, 2.0 engaging against the body of the garment.

The folded edges, comprising the fold lines 17, 18, extend into and seat substantially against the luctween the garment lapels and the coat body. With the lapel form thus positioned the respective pins '29 may be simply engaged with the fabric of the coat adjacent the lower ends of the respective lapels, thus retaining the lapel form in position, When thus positioned the limited resiliency of the V-shaped trough legs serves to maintain the lapels cushioned and spaced away from the body of the coat and tends to resist crushing of the lapels, as well as rigidifying same and greatly inhibiting crumpling thereof,

It thus will be seen that we have provided a new and novel blank for the formation of the lapel form and in addition we have provided a new and novel lapel form for preventing the crushing and crumpling of garment lapels consisting of a curved flat neck band and a pair of depending integrally connected trough legs of limited resiliency, each of the legs including means for quickly and simply attaching the device in position.

, It will further be seen that while the legs are formed of material of limited resiliency as described so as to accomplish the maintenance of spacing of the lapels away from the coat body, the folding of the leg portions along fold lines 17, 18 provides a pair of legs which are longitudinally relatively rigid and upon the engagement of the attachment pins 29 with the fabric of the garment the lower pin-carrying ends of the legs engage with the fabric and thus efiectively provide a stifiening preventing the longitudinal crompling of the lapels simultaneously with the cushioning of the lapels against crushing.

We claim:

.1. Form means for preventing the crushing and crumpling of garment lapels comprising a pair of elongated tapered legs, a flat, curved neck band, the opposite ends of said neck band being connected to one end of the re spective said legs, each said leg being a :tnough-line member including an underlying garment engaging portion, an overlying lapel portion, said portions being integrally connected along a common fold line and diverging away from said fold line, said legs ibeing V-shaped in cross section, said garment-engaging portions being cut off adjacent said neck band and the neck band being integrally connected to said lapel portions to efiect connection of said neck band to said legs, said portions being resilient to urge maintenance of said cross section shape against crushing action, said ll-shaped legs being longitudinally rigid to resist cmmpling, and'pin means respectively connected to the ends of said legs remote from said neck band, said pin means being substantially longitudinally alined with said fold lines and projecting outwardly from the junctions of said leg portions, said form means being adapted for positioning'upona garment'having lapels with said meek band engaging the garment neck band and said legs underlying the garment lapels, with said pin means dctachably engaged with the garment fabric, said leg portion resiliency cushioning said garment lapels against crushing and said leg rigidity preventing crump'ling when so positioned.

2. Form means or preventing the crushing and crumpling of garment lapels comprising a pair of elongated tapered legs, a neck band, each said leg being a troughlike -member "including an underlying garment-eng g l portion, an overlying lapel portion, said portions being 4 integrally connected along a common told line and diverging away from said fold line, said legs being V- shaped in cross section, the opposite ends of said neck band being integrally connected to said lapel portions to effect connection of said neck band to said legs, said portions being resilient to urge maintenance of said cross section shape against crushing action, said V-shaped legs being longitudinally rigid to resist crumpling, and attach ment means respectively connected to the ends of said legs remote from said neck band, said attachment means being substantially longitudinally alined with said fold lines and projecting outwardly from the junctions of said leg portions, said form means being adapted for positioning upon a garment having lapels with said neck band engaging the garment neck band and said legs underlying the garment lapels, with said pin means detachably engaged with the garment fabric, said leg portion resiliency cushioning said garment lapels against crushing and said leg rigidity preventing crumpling when .so positioned.

3. Form vmeans for preventing the crushing and crumpling of garment lapels comprising a pair of elongated legs, .a neck band connected to the respective :said legs,

said legs being trough-like in cross section and transversely resilient to urge maintenance of said cross section shape against crushing action, said legs being longitu dinally rigid to resist crumpling, and pin means respec tively connected to and projecting away from the ends .of said legs remote from said neck band, said dorm means being adapted for positioning upon a garment having lapels with said neck band engaging the garment neck a band and said legs underlying the garment lapels, with said pin means detachably engaged with the garment dab,

, ric, said leg resiliency cushioning said garment lapels against crushing and said leg rigidity preventing crum pling when so positioned.

4. Form means for preventing the crushing and crum' pling of garment lapels comprising a pair of elongated legs, a neck band connected to the respective .said legs, each said legs being trough-like in cross-section and longitudinally rigid to resist cnlmpling, and pin means respectively connected to and projecting from the ends of said legs remote from said neck hand, said form means being adapted for positioning .upon a garment having lapels with said :neck band engaging the garment neck band and said legs underlying the garment lapels, with said pin means detachably engaged with the garment fabric, said :leg rigidity preventing lapel crumpliug when so 1pc sitioned.

5.. A flat blank as of paper board for use in forming a garment lapel form, said blank comprising a flexibleflat curved neck band, a pair of elongated tapering panels integrally connected each at one end to the opposite ends of said neck band, a second pair of elongated tapered panels respectively resiliently foldably connected along one edge to one edge of the first said panels, said second pair of panels being free of said neck band, and attachment means connected .to and projecting from the other ends of said panels.

engaging the garment and said legs underlying the garment lape'ls, with saidpin means detachably engaged with the garment fabric, said'leg rigiditypreventing lapel crumpling when so positioned. a

7. Form means for preventing the crushing and crumpling of garment lapels comprising elongated legma na gam tn a ing means connec ed .to said leg means, said leg means being trough-like in cross-section and longitudinally rigid to resist crumpling, and pin means connected to and projecting from said leg means remote from said garment-contacting means, said form means being adapted for positioning upon a garment having lapels with said garment-contacting means engaging the garment and said leg means underlying the garment lapels, with said pin means detachably engaged with the garment fabric, said leg rigidity preventing lapel crumpling when so positioned.

8. Form means for preventing the crushing and crumpling of garment lapels comprising elongated leg means, garment-contacting means connected to said leg means, said leg means being trough-like in cross-section and longitudinally rigid to resist crumpling, and attachment means connected to said leg means remote from said garment-contacting means, said form means being adapted for positioning upon a garment having lapels with said garment-contacting means engaging the garment and said leg means underlying the garment lapels, with said attachment means detachably engaged with the garment fabric, said leg rigidity preventing lapel crumpling when so positioned.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,870,737 Kohler Aug. 9, 1932 2,092,253 Hogan Sept, 7, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 671,317 Germany Feb. 3, 1939 

